Young women, family formation experiences and subsequent well-being

Open Access
- Author:
- Pearce-Morris, Jennifer
- Graduate Program:
- Sociology
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- June 06, 2012
- Committee Members:
- Valarie Elizabeth King, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Valarie Elizabeth King, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Dr Alan Booth, Committee Member
Paul Richard Amato, Committee Member
David Eggebeen, Committee Member - Keywords:
- family formation
marriage
motherhood
cohabitation
pathways
well-being - Abstract:
- While there has been much research on demographic and personal predictors of family formation experiences that occur through the early twenties, most studies have not examined family formation experiences occurring through the late twenties and early thirties. It is unknown which pathways (which take into account the ordering and sequencing of marriage, cohabitation, and childbearing events) are most common when following women through these later ages, and it is unknown how these longer pathways are associated with young women’s well-being. It is also unknown how multiple partner transitions are associated with well-being. Using waves one and four of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, this project documents the family formation pathways that exist for young women between adolescence and age twenty-nine, and examines the association between these pathways and health and risky behavior outcomes. The link between the number of transitions into and out of marriage and cohabitation and well-being outcomes is also explored. In a sample of 4,099 women, nine pathways of family formation were found: delayed starters (20%), cohabitors (13.5%), early single mothers (12.4%), married mothers with premarital cohabitation (11.7%), early married mothers (10.7%), married mothers (10.5%), single mothers (8.9%), cohabiting mothers who later marry (6.5%), and marrieds (5.6%). Those who followed pathways involving non-marital motherhood (early single mothers, single mothers, and cohabiting mothers who marry later) experienced the greatest declines in delinquency over time. Young women who became delayed starters or cohabitors (i.e pathways that did not involve marriage or motherhood (regardless of marriage)), experienced significant increases in heavy drinking, and those who became cohabiting moms who married later experienced a greater decline in heavy decline than all other groups. Young women who had fewer union breakups did better on some outcomes (less depression) than those with many union breakups, but did worse on other outcomes (less of a decline in delinquency) compared to those with many transitions. Those who were currently in unions during their late twenties / early thirties sometimes had better outcomes (less depression & less heavy drinking), and young women who were currently broken up from a union did worse on some outcomes (heavier drinking). Young women with zero unions were also sometimes worse off compared to others (heavier drinking than those were currently in unions by young adulthood).